THE girlfriend of Runcorn murder victim Jody Burns has offered a #5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of his killer.

Rosie Marsh has pledged the cash in a bid to persuade anyone who may be sheltering the murderer to give them up to police.

Jody, 27, was killed by an unknown assailant in June after a fight involving up to 60 people broke out in the Old Town.

Twenty-five-year-old Rosie said: 'I would appeal to anyone who may know the identity of Jody's killer to get in touch with the police as soon as possible.

'It is awful to know that the person responsible for Jody's death is free and walking the streets.

'Jody wasn't causing any trouble that night, in fact he was trying to stop people fighting. He was a wonderful person and did not deserve to lose his life like that.'

The reward offer comes a week after police said it was unlikely anyone would be charged with Jody's murder unless fresh evidence became available.

Det Insp Mike Caton said: 'A thorough investigation took place after Mr Burns' death and it is clear that he was attacked.

'However, the evidence so far is not enough for murder charges to go ahead -­ and this will not happen unless we have new information.

Keen local footballer Jody was captured on security cameras attempting to break up a fight outside the Bank Chambers pub, but was killed later when he was attacked as the brawl spread to the taxi rank near the bus station.

However, Jody's death was not filmed because CCTV cameras continued to focus on the violence outside the pub.

Detectives took statements from 260 witnesses following the attack and confirmed that Mr Burns was not involved in the brawl.

A police spokesman said: 'There is no evidence to suggest that Jody Burns was behaving in an aggressive or violent way, he was an innocent victim of the violent behaviour of others.'

Jody's girlfriend of eight years, Rosie, has appealed to the police and Halton Borough Council for the introduction of further CCTV cameras in the Old Town.

She said: 'On the night Jody was killed there was only one camera in operation and I believe not enough evidence was gathered as to who killed him.

'Jody was filmed trying to break up the fight, but there is no footage to show who killed him. I think it is vital more cameras are installed to ensure nothing like this happens again and no-one need suffer as Jody's family and I have done.'

But Halton council said it had no plans to introduce more cameras into Runcorn town centre.

Meanwhile, Ms Marsh has demanded answers from Halton Police on what happened on the night of Jody's murder.

She says the disturbances in the Old Town had been going on for nearly three quarters of an hour before officers turned up. And she wants to know why no officers or cars were on patrol in the area.

She said: 'I find it incredible that the trouble was allowed to go on for that long before any police arrived. If they had been on the scene quicker, Jody might still be alive.'